There is a growing interest in water sports of all types. White water rafting is one such sport that is attracting outdoor adventurers not only in the United States but internationally as well. Growth in rafting has reached the point where permits are required to run rafts on many rivers in the United States. Other water activities are also growing. Canoes, riverboats and small ocean vessels have increasing popularity.
As the use of small water craft grows, so does the need for safe and efficient boating equipment. One piece of equipment used in rafting is the gear bag. Large rafting trips often use two or three baggage boats to carry camping gear, food and other supplies in these gear bags. Many types of bags are now available to carry this equipment. The trouble is securing these bags to the raft or boat so that they are not lost in rough water or accidentally knocked overboard. A common method for securing the bags to a raft is to run "boat straps" through the straps on the gear bags. This process is time consuming and must be done at every camp site.
Another method uses a frame platform secured to raft with D-rings and boat straps. The gear is placed on the platform and covered by netting. A boat strap is then woven throughout the netting and secured to the raft. Although this method may be more efficient, it is also dangerous. Depending on the size of the gaps in the netting, it is sometimes possible to get a hand, watch or other object caught in the net. If the raft should capsize, the rider is stuck and could drown.
Many types of waterproof and other types of bags have been developed over time. Some of these bags have mechanisms that can be used to tie the bag to a boat. One example of such a bag is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,099,656 to Neumann et al. The Neumann et al. patent teaches a bag that can be used as a storage bag or water carrier. The bag has six rings sewn to the bottom of the bag. Four of the rings are arranged in a rectangle. The remaining two rings are attached near the long ends of the bag, along the center axis. A strap is provided that be used carry the bag. The patent also mentions that the rings can be used to lash the bag to a canoe or other vehicles. Although the Neumann bag is very useful, it is limited in its application for carrying supplies for river rafting. It is primarily designed for backpacking, which keeps it small. Moreover, while the placement of the rings on the Neumann patent, within the perimeter of the bottom of the bag, is essential for Neuman's bag to be used as a backpack, it is far from ideal for lashing the bag to a raft or canoe. The rings as placed in the Neumann bag make the bag top heavy. Tied down in this way, the bag has a tendency to roll excessively. Moreover, tying the bag in place requires running the lines under the bag, which can be difficult if the bag is heavy. Finally, inverting the bag to overcome the balance problem causes problems because the access zipper is then at the bottom of the bag, making access to the contents during the trip impossible.